Hello everyone,

So I used to start with Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition, and then played Pathfinder 1st edition for a bit seeing as it was basically Dungeons & Dragons 3.75 edition. A few friends then sucked me into Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (A simplified version of D&D 3E and Pathfinder 1E), and I started making homebrew for them and others for that system, which I shared on my Deviantart https://www.deviantart.com/nielspeterdejong and Discord https://discord.gg/mBmKcp6E3s

Now, I got back into Pathfinder 1st edition just recently due to some other friends, and I quite like how good the customization is and how much more realistic and tension filled it feels when compared to D&D 5E (not saying there is anything wrong with the latter, but former just feels like a more complete version). There were only a handfull of things that I feel could be improved, namely the "unchained" ninja, the catfolk (I made a variant for a friend), and the kitsune.

I made revisions of these, as well as a fanmade player race that my group always used to play in D&D 3rd edition, and which I translated to Pathfinder, named the minos. These are basically big friendly giants, and allows players to play as a "minotaur" that is less furry and without going overboard with their traits. Here are links to all of them, and I hope that you guys will like them as well:

"Unchained" Ninja + Nokizaru Archetype
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1auY5Qi-SG0F_sEXiHr8mILhGvW5f3Y9l/view


Catfolk, Variant
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hxn22W0P-C-RhqpuRO31TTRZgceJuhsI/view


Kitsune, Revised
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hNls3jEfQG-6aq1QrIsRq80jcMfmUFnp/view


Minos
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15Sm3tUq2-EuogLZi8p1Hb9Yd9rNZhKgu/view

I didn't read all of the documents here, but one thing I notice when I look at this Unchained Ninja document is that I have no idea how to evaluate what I'm reading because the document is basically describing a modification of a modification.

I'm not sure if the content you're referencing is OGL content, but I think it'd be more comprehensible if you just took all of it and presented it in one go as its own unique thing, rather than describing changes on top of some other work.


Although I didn't see any spelling issues in the information presented here, I felt like the use of "Quoted words" was strange in rules text. For example, you use "Unchained" Ninja as a heading. Why would it have quotations? I also thought it was strange the rules text had Nokizaru referred to as "monkeys" -- Why would they be referred to in this way? Is that the meaning of Nokizaru in Japanese?

I actually looked up this term and one thing I noticed is that there seems to be at least one other class or class mod called Nokizaru:

• https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/alternate-classes/ninja/archetypes/rogue-genius-games-ninja-archetypes/nokizaru/
• https://banished-dungeons.fandom.com/wiki/Nokizaru

I noticed some of the text is the same between these. Is there some common source?

The changes I described for the Ninja is actually a single feature, that will be added on top of existing content, namely the Ninja class (which is an alternate class of the rogue): https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/alternate-classes/ninja/

The problem however, is that the rogue got 3 new features in its update, which is known as the "Unchained Rogue": https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/unchained-classes/Rogue-unchained/#TOC-Debilitating-Injury-Ex- It is largely the same as the original rogue, but also has the Finesse Training, Debilitating Injury, and Rogue's Edge features.

This Unchained version sadly has forgotten about the Ninja, which is slightly better than the rogue with its ki pool, but not nearly as good as the Unchained Ninja. An existing full homebrew exists for the Ninja, but some DM's noted that they found it a tad much. As such, this single feature (Ninja Finesse) is meant to be taken on top of the standard Ninja, which grants it additional options.

I apologize if this may seem a tad complicated, but the ninja has quite a history behind it in Pathfinder, and this is meant as a bridge of sorts to give them some much needed love.

This is also why I made "Unchained" quoted, since Unchained is a term used for a number of updated Pathfinder classes, and unfortunately they did not make one for the Ninja.

As for the Nokizaru, they are based on a ninja clan known for its trickery. This gave them a reputation for being "monkeys" or using magic. A few other content creators have tried to create them, but I felt that their versions were a bit lacking. Mine was a bit more "bland" if you would, by basically copying the Eldritch Scoundrel Archetype for the Rogue. However, this felt fair to me seeing as the ninja is just an altered version of the rogue, plus I made them gain their sneak attack earlier than the Eldritch Scoundrel, seeing as the latter has more trickery and the former is more about killing targets. Hence the references.

Yeah, I get the history lesson but in order for a player/DM to actually use the content you're presenting you have to go dig up this other material and then cross-reference that material with the changes you're presenting. That's a lot of work if you want someone to use your stuff.

What you've got is something you obviously care about and you put a lot of effort into thinking about it and presenting it well: Why not take the minor step of collecting all of the info needed to actually run the class into your document?

So in other words, add all the class features and tables and other content from the Ninja class and add it together? Well I could do that, but the ninja class is already available online, so even GM's that don't have the book can readily find it: https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/alternate-classes/ninja/

I fear that doing so would be redundant, seeing as everyone already has access to the rules for this class, and my single Ninja Finesse feature only adds a few options that are not worth making single features for; as it is basically the rogue's Finesse Training, with some other options to make the ninja more worthwhile in the long run. There is already a full revised Ninja class, called the "Unchained Ninja": https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/unchained-classes/rogue-unchained/alternate-classes/everyman-gaming-unchained-ninja/ but the problem is that this is 3rd party content, and some feel that this one is a tad more powerful than the Unchained Rogue. And as such, my Ninja Finesse feature is a way to go in between: Make it better than the OG ninja, while also keeping in mind that the ki pool from the ninja is a big advantage, and as such the Ninja Finesse feature mostly adds just additional options.

Also, I just noticed that I had posted the older version of my "Unchained" Ninja optional feature, as I still had the old optional rules posted there. Here is the updated version:

"Unchained" Ninja + Nokizaru Archetype
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1auY5Qi-SG0F_sEXiHr8mILhGvW5f3Y9l/view

And here is an update to my Catfolk player race for Pathfinder 1st edition, to which I added an additional alternate racial trait. For those that want to use these traits when playing as a Strength based Beastfolk race (such like a wolf-folk or tiger-folk etc.), either Nekomimi or furry (which are two separate things). Hope you guys will like this as well!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hxn22W0P-C-RhqpuRO31TTRZgceJuhsI/view